Journalist drowns as elephant rescue goes incorrect on Mahanadi river close to Cuttack

By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: An elephant rescue operation on the Mahanadi river at Mundali brige close to Cuttack went horribly incorrect as a journalist drowned whereas a member of the ODRAF went lacking after the rescue boat they have been in capsized within the river.

Four others, together with a video journalist, who have been on the ability boat in the course of the rescue operation of the sub-adult tusker have been admitted to the SCB Medical and Hospital for remedy. The video journalist Prabhat Sinha and one other ODRAF member are mentioned to be in a vital situation.

“The journalist Arindam Das was received dead. Doctors tried to revive him for more than an hour but failed,” mentioned SCB emergency officer Bhubanananda Maharana.

ODRAF member Sitaram Murmu, who was a part of the rescue workforce, has remained untraced up to now.

An NDRF workforce together with ODRAF and fireplace providers personnel are persevering with the search operation within the swollen river to hint him, police mentioned.

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The ODRAF boat was despatched for the rescue operation after the elephant was discovered caught close to the bridge within the flooded river for greater than 5 hours.

The boat, nonetheless, capsized when it was about to get nearer to the tusker. The engine of the boat additionally stopped working.

Th boat overturned close to the brdge and the crew members couldn’t swim by means of the water as a result of its excessive velocity.

Even the tusker was seen struggling to face within the excessive present of the water.

Chandaka DFO Md Jameel who was on the spot mentioned they’re hopeful that the tusker will cross the river by itself as elephants are good swimmers.

Meanwhile, a senior OSDMA official admitted that media personnel shouldn’t have been allowed to get into the boat in the course of the rescue operation.

“It was a mistake and the matter needs to be investigated,” he mentioned whereas requesting anonymity.